


The Weapon

by Roff



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:06:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23808862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roff/pseuds/Roff
Summary: One-Shot! Harry is trained as a weapon, but he doesn't like to talk about it. Fourth year, Triwizard Tournament. Some graphic violence. Pairing: Harry/Susan.
Relationships: Susan Bones/Harry Potter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 49





	The Weapon

**The Weapon  
** by Roff

Harry Potter was only eight years old when his Phys. Ed. teacher, Mr. Flannery, noticed something wrong. Harry’s cousin Dudley and his friends would always pick on him. They would chase him and if they caught him, they would beat him up.

He had come to Harry’s rescue a couple of times, pulling them off the poor boy and warning the other boys of what punishment he would saddle them with if they didn’t cut it out and leave Harry alone. He had them cleaning the whole gym and sports equipment after he caught them the second time.

It didn’t deter them though and Mr. Flannery could not keep an eye on Harry enough to make a big enough difference. He was pretty sure that they harassed Harry a lot more than the times he was able to catch them at it while at school.

Mr. Flannery was not fond of bullies.

He also noticed how small and underfed the boy looked. The other boys were all much bigger than little Harry, especially his cousin Dudley. He was the leader of the group and the biggest of the bunch, tall for his age and wide with it. Coupled with his personality, he was a perfect example of a bully.

When he saw that Harry had been beaten up again during recess, he made a decision that eventually changed Harry’s life. Kenneth Flannery was not just a Phys. Ed. teacher. That was what he did to supplement his income. Kenneth was a black belt in four different forms of martial arts – Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, Ninjutsu, and Taekwondo.

He had been training in Taekwondo since he was a kid and even spent time in the military when he was younger and fresh out of school. He found his karate training came in quite handy while in the military. That was when he began studying the additional disciplines, traveling all over the world, and eventually he gained black belt levels in those as well.

Now he was hoping to start a studio of his own but needed money to do that. His job as Phys. Ed. teacher was providing the living expenses and he was saving what he could so that someday he could open his training studio with an apartment attached in the back or upstairs so he could cut down on both his living and business expenses at the same time.

The only problem he saw was he had never taught all that much in any of the disciplines. He was pretty much always a student. He had only led a few classes in some drills and warm-ups when the sensei was busy or had him work with beginners a few times.

He was in his late-thirties now and felt it was time he shared with the community some of what he had learned. His passion was in self-defense and he wanted to open his own business so he could teach that to others who needed it. When he thought about how he could help little Harry with his bully problem, he decided to kill two birds with one stone.

He needed more experience teaching self-defense and Harry needed to learn how to defend himself. He held Harry back after school let out that very day and spoke to him about his idea. Harry was ready to learn anything that would keep the bullies off of him and when Mr. Flannery explained about all his knowledge and abilities, Harry was more than impressed. He was also more relaxed around Mr. Flannery since he was always helpful and had shown his concern for Harry many times.

They immediately made plans on when they could meet on a regular basis. In fact, Mr. Flannery walked with Harry all the way back to his house so he could protect him and they talked the whole way. Mr. Flannery learned that Harry’s parents were killed when he was only one year old and he had been living with his aunt and uncle since then. Once they reached number 4 Privet Drive, Mr. Flannery insisted he come in and talk to Harry’s guardians.

Harry didn’t think that was a good idea, but Mr. Flannery insisted.

Once inside the house where Harry’s teacher spoke with Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Kenneth Flannery was sure he was making the right decision regarding Harry. He didn’t care for either one of Harry’s guardians and had a bad feeling about them both. Looking around at all the pictures on the walls and furniture, he noticed there was not a single one of Harry anywhere, but plenty of his fat lump of a cousin.

He also noticed a change in Harry’s demeanor as soon as they entered the house. He looked fearful. On the other hand, Dudley was staring at his teacher wondering if he was going to be in trouble.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, my name is Kenneth Flannery and I’m the Phys. Ed. teacher for both Dudley and Harry. I apologize but I ended up keeping Harry after school today. He was helping me with a project I’m starting. I walked him home to make sure he’d be safe and I wanted to let you know myself why he was coming home later. It was completely my fault.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Mr. Flannery. Thanks for letting us know,” answered Petunia with a false sincerity.

“The boy wasn’t a bother was he?” asked Vernon brusquely and with a frown at Harry.

Harry looked down, averting his eyes from his uncle. Harry’s teacher noticed the reaction but called no attention to it.

“No, not at all, Mr. Dursley. I was actually very impressed with how hard of a worker he is, so much so that I would like to have him continue to help me for about an hour or so after school each day. Would that be okay with you two? Assuming of course Harry here doesn’t mind. I could really use his help. I’ll even make sure he gets home safely afterwards. That way you won’t have to worry,” he said with smile.

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other trying to decide.

Mr. Flannery turned to his student. “Harry, I know the work will be very **hard** ,” he emphasized for the Dursley’s benefit, “but I could really use your help if you’re willing.”

“I-I-I don’t mind, Mr. Flannery, if it helps you. I’ll w-work really hard,” he promised.

“Good to hear, Harry. I’m so glad you’re willing to help me out. Now what do you say, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley?” he asked turning back to them. “It’s really difficult to get kids these days to lend a hand, especially after school lets out. They have their minds on something else. Harry really came through for me today.”

“I think that will be fine if the boy helps for a while after school,” answered Vernon. “He needs to learn some responsibility anyway and the hard work will be good for him.”

“You don’t have to worry about bringing him home, Mr. Flannery,” added Petunia. “He’ll be fine on his own. It’s not that far of a walk from the school.”

“Well, I didn’t want you to worry and sometimes it may be more than an hour and sometimes it could be less,” he explained.

“That’ll be fine,” she said waving her hand like it didn’t matter. “We’ll know to expect him at different times then.”

“Great! I’m glad that’s all settled. You guys have a nice evening and I’ll see you and Dudley tomorrow in class, Harry.”

“Okay. Bye, Mr. Flannery,” Harry replied meekly.

oOo

The next day after school, Mr. Flannery provided Harry with his very own karate uniform and white belt. He then explained all about what Harry would be learning and how Harry was to call him Sensei while they were training.

Over the years, it became expected that Harry was going to be coming home late from school every day. The Dursleys didn’t even care why Harry always stayed after school. They just got accustomed to it. Once Kenneth Flannery opened his own dojo, Harry would then go there after school and even show up on Saturdays and Sundays when he could get away from his relatives.

In the summers, Harry spent even more time ‘helping’ Mr. Flannery, training hours and hours a day.

However, when Harry turned eleven on July 31, 1991, and he discovered he was a wizard who was headed to a magical school, he immediately told his sensei about having to go to a special boarding school in Scotland that his parents had went to. He explained how he would be gone all year except for a couple of months during the summers.

So they made plans to meet up every summer to see how far they could get with his training. Harry was to continue to train while away at school and master what he already knows. Sensei Ken was very proud of his first student. He had come a very long way and Harry had put a stop to the bullying after only three months of training.

Harry never touched Dudley during the incident. He didn’t want to get in trouble with his relatives. However, when Dudley saw what Harry did to all of his friends, Dudley decided he would not attack his cousin any more.

The game of ‘Harry Hunting’ was discontinued from that day forward.

Even after Ken opened his own dojo, He still never charged Harry for a single lesson. He just continued to train him and watch him grow in knowledge and skill. Ken taught Harry a mix of the different disciplines he had mastered. He took what he felt were the best parts from all of them and melded them together. Harry seemed to favor the ninja style a little more over the others, but had the powerful kicks of the Taekwondo style. He had even become quite sufficient with the weapons of the ninja. His stealth was coming along too.

Sensei Ken gifted Harry with many of those weapons so he could continue to practice with them and perfect his craft while away. After Harry turned eleven and discovered he had money, he went ahead and bought all the weapons of the ninja he could find. The trunk he bought had a compartment that was a good-sized training room that held all those weapons and a few others from the other disciplines.

Harry took to his training like a duck to water. His sensei realized that Harry was very smart and must be holding back in school for some reason. He suspected it was the kid’s uncle and aunt that were causing this behavior. During his training, Harry did not hold back at all and showed his true colors. He was a quick learner and he had grown quite a bit over the years, especially since his sensei insisted on feeding him a good meal with plenty of proteins and fats every day, usually in the form of a big steak with very little else.

Ken wanted Harry to consume more fat and protein for his health but also so he wouldn’t get hungry as often when his so-called family refused to feed him. He first explained to Harry about the three macro nutrients, which are carbohydrates, fat, and protein, and what types of food fall under those categories. He then explained how no one should be following the government guidelines for their diet. It was completely unhealthy. He also explained it in more detail to Harry so he would understand the necessity of a proper diet for staying healthy and fit, which increases your ability in martial arts.

“Carbohydrates turn into sugar in the blood once you consume them and sugar will make you fat if your body doesn’t burn all the sugar off. That’s likely why your uncle and cousin are so over weight, Harry. They eat mostly carbs and get very little exercise. Consuming too many carbs will make it impossible to burn them all off unless you can exercise hard for the majority of the day. I’m talking hours and hours a day, Harry. Professional athletes maybe, but most people don’t have time to exercise for that long, what with work and all that. Even kids have to go to school for most of the day. Whereas fat and protein are essential to the body,” he explained.

“Fat breaks down into essential fatty acids when you consume it and protein breaks down into essential amino acids when consumed. They are both essential to the body. It absolutely has to have them. Consequently, there is nothing essential to the body about a carb. It’s best to keep the consumption of carbs at zero or at least at an extremely low level while you eat more protein and fat. The protein, and the fat, will keep you satiated, in other words, full, for a much longer period. This means you eat less and have longer periods of intermittent fasting between meals. Do you understand what I mean?” he asked Harry.

Harry nodded.

“Fasting has been used for many millennia,” he continued, “mostly by nearly every religious belief out there, and it’s very healthy for you, allowing your body to heal many problems. You also burn more body fat while you fast. Just keep in mind that it’s very difficult to fast on a high carb diet. While fat and protein keeps you full longer, too many carbs actually make you hungry not long after you eat. Plus, sugar is addictive. Are you getting all of that?”

“I think so, Sensei. I know some from what you taught me before but I still don’t know all the right foods to eat yet though. I’m not sure what category all the different foods go into, whether fats, proteins, or carbs.”

“Not to worry, Harry. I will continue to teach you so you’ll have a good grounding in nutrition. Just so you know, kids your age tend to be able to deal with excess carbs easier than adults, especially older adults. So, even if you eat too many carbs on occasion before you learn the difference, you will still be okay since you are young and active, and will burn that excess sugar off. Once you have learned the difference, it will be much easier for you and you can maintain a much healthier body. Of course, your training will help you as well. In fact, all that training is why you need to eat plenty of protein to repair your muscles and make them stronger.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Ken also sent him home with healthy snacks in his backpack in case he got hungry while at home. He never married or had any children but if he had a son, he would want him to be just like Harry.

After all the healthy foods and growth spurt, Harry was not only around average height for his age now, he was also very well-built. It was rare to see an eleven year old with a six-pack, but Harry certainly had one. His ability to move was amazing and he was super quick with his feet and hands.

Harry figured out later after he started Hogwarts that he had been naturally supplementing his training with his magic. This is why he was extra fast with either hands or feet. Once he learned more about magic in school, Harry was able to use his magic even more with his technique. It speeded him up even faster, allowing him to punch, kick, and even jump extremely high with his magic infused muscles. He was so fast at top speed that he was practically a blur when he fought.

Harry was just shy of his first black belt when he left to go to Hogwarts for his first year, so he had to wait until the next summer to hopefully reach that level.

His sensei had warned him many times about using his abilities for self-defense only. It was drilled into him. He was told it was better to walk away than having to hurt someone defending yourself. If they refused to let you walk away then you have every right to take them down, but it should be done with caution so you don’t accidentally hurt them too much or kill them.

‘ _Remember that you have been trained as a weapon and most people will not have that type of training, so be very mindful_ ,’ his sensei would remind him on occasion.

Sensei Ken didn’t mean that you should take risks and get yourself hurt, he just wanted Harry to be wary of his dangerous abilities and not use them past what is required for the situation.

As the years passed, Harry kept his abilities in martial arts a secret. He only practiced in his trunk. He always walked away when students tried to start something. This happened a lot with Draco Malfoy. An exception to the rule was his killing of Quirrell at the end of his first year when he stopped Voldemort from getting the Philosopher’s Stone. It had more to do with Quirrell not being able to touch Harry’s skin than Harry’s fighting ability, although he did use it when Quirrell started to choke him.

Unfortunately for Quirrell, his hands turned to ash when Harry grabbed them to counter the choke. Once free, Harry leaped and kicked Quirrell hard in the head, sending him to the floor. Then when Harry grabbed his face, his whole head turn to ash, killing him. Voldemort left the room as a wraith since his possession of Quirrell had come to an end.

Then in second year, Harry had to use his agility, speed, and sword skills to kill a giant basilisk, save Ginny Weasley’s life, and stop a memory of Voldemort from returning to life using Ginny’s life force.

Fawkes the phoenix blinded the basilisk so Harry was able to leap and flip in the air, landing on top of the basilisk, just behind its head. The giant serpent was just about to buck Harry off but Harry jumped straight up and came down with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, piercing through the top of the snake’s head and into its brain all the way to the hilt, killing it. Harry leaped free of the snake as it went into its death throes. He retrieved the sword from the serpent’s head afterwards.

Third year, Harry didn’t use his martial arts ability at all. He did use his patronus though to drive off a horde of dementors. However, in fourth year, for the first time since he came to Hogwarts, Harry used his ability in front of a lot of students. To understand why, it’s important the story starts from the beginning of fourth year and what led up to Harry revealing his ability.

oOo

September first rolled around again and it was time to go back to Hogwarts. At age fourteen, Harry had just completed achieving the level of second degree black belt under his sensei, Ken Flannery. Ken could not be more pleased with his very first student. He was learning faster and faster the older he got, making great strides over the summers by working on it practically all day. He was also a great help with his other students when they needed individual attention. Harry was always ready to jump in and help the other students.

School had started though and there was to be a contest between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, the three premiere magic schools of Europe. The contest was called the Triwizard Tournament and a champion from each school, who had to be of age, would be chosen to represent their individual schools. The three tasks would be dangerous so that’s why the contestants needed to be adults. Only sixth and seventh years who had obtained the age of seventeen, that is to say their majority, were allowed to submit their names.

Harry was looking forward to a quieter year and perhaps watching the contest from the stands with everyone else. However, things did not go his way. Harry’s name was selected as a fourth champion even though he didn’t submit his name. He was quite surprised when his name was called by the headmaster and directed to go into the side chamber with the other champions.

Of course, everyone assumed he cheated and would not believe him when he said he didn’t enter his name. His best mate Ron was one of the worst of the accusers, taking it personal. Not only did he believe Harry cheated, but failed to allow his best mate to enter as well so he would have a shot at a thousand galleons prize money and eternal glory. However, when Harry asked Ron and everyone else in the common room listening in, to name one previous champion, they couldn’t do it.

“Some eternal glory, huh Ron? And, why in the world do you think I need a thousand galleons when I have vaults overflowing with them? I assure you a thousand galleons prize money would not make a dent in my finances.”

Ron just stormed off. He refused to believe Harry and certainly didn’t want to be reminded of how rich Harry was, not to mention how poor his own family was.

Hermione wasn’t much better. She started out saying she believed Harry but it became obvious that she really didn’t. She found it hard to believe that someone else at the school that was capable of fooling the artifact, like a professor, would enter Harry’s name. Then the possibility that Voldemort was behind it all, sounded too much like a conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theories were not something she could ever buy into.

Harry also started skipping some of his classes so he could spend more time training. Since he was excused from them and end of year exams due to the tournament, he saw no need to over burden himself while his life was on the line. Plus, with all the problems the students were giving him, the last thing he wanted was to have to put up with Snape or Trelawney.

Hermione was not happy that he was not going to some of his classes. She wouldn’t let up about it either. But, when she insisted that Harry apologize to Ron so they could mend their relationship, Harry finally told her off and said she was supposed to be the smart one, but now he knew she was out of her mind and not that smart at all.

Hermione stormed off after that.

No one in Gryffindor seemed interested in talking to him at all. They all believed he cheated. It was nice to have a champion from their own house but they could not get behind Harry unless he admitted that he cheated to get in. Cheating was a known part of the tournament so they couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t admit to it. After all, he was called as the fourth champion and there was supposed to be only three, one from each school. He had to have cheated, right?

Harry told them to support Cedric as the real Hogwarts champion but they still wouldn’t talk to him. They believed he was a cheater who would not admit it and reveal how he pulled it off. Consequently, after all that, Harry collected all of his stuff from the dorm and moved into an empty classroom in a remote part of the castle. He setup his trunk in the classroom and used it instead. It was equipped with a fully furnished apartment, potions lab, office, and of course his training room.

Harry had bonded with Dobby in second year, who was so happy to be the Great Harry Potter’s personal house elf. Since then, he always kept the rooms in Harry’s trunk extra clean and tidy. When Harry wanted to eat away from everyone else, Dobby would bring him food from the Hogwarts kitchen or make it for Harry in the trunk’s kitchen.

Dobby already provided Harry’s meals for him in the Great Hall when he ate there. That way Harry didn’t have to eat all the carbs everyone else was eating. Harry also didn’t show up for every meal unless he just wanted to spend more time with his friends while they ate. He basically only ate two meals a day since he wasn’t hungry enough to eat more than that. Sometimes, he even ate enough beef in one meal so that he didn’t need to eat again until the next day. This gave him more time to study and train.

Slytherin was bad enough with their badges and Malfoy’s mouth, but Harry just ignored them. The bigger problem was Hufflepuff. They all felt he had stolen the spotlight from Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff champion. He was hexed a few times in the hallways but he didn’t retaliate if he got hit. He just walked away and removed the hex or visited Madam Pomfrey if needed.

When he reported the attacks on his person to Dumbledore and McGonagall, they just told him to keep his head down and let it blow over. Harry thought for sure they could at least make an announcement to everyone and explain that he didn’t put his name in the goblet and threaten anyone who continued to hex him. No help was offered though and Harry was quickly losing his patience with these people.

On the flip side, he was getting very quick with his shield.

A few days later, after a few trips to the hospital wing to get spells removed, Harry was walking down the hall when he approached the staircases. A lot of people were loitering about. Most were in Hufflepuff.

A rather large seventh year stopped Harry and began harassing him for stealing Cedric’s thunder and cheating his way into the tournament. The seventh year seemed to get more agitated the longer he ranted. Harry just kept quiet as the older Hufflepuff towered over him, insulting him and calling him names. A few others joined in and insulted him as well on occasion. When the bully paused for a breath, Harry looked up into his face and asked him a question.

“Are you done? I happen to be headed somewhere and don’t want to be late.”

“No, I’m not done with you, you little arse,” getting into Harry’s face and backing him into the wall.

“Well, could you please hurry it up? I’m growing impatient,” Harry told him, remaining calm but ready for anything.

“How about we do this instead?” he asked Harry then punched him hard in the stomach. It felt like he was hitting a wall though. It even hurt his hand some.

Harry bent slightly from the waist when he was struck but then he stood back up straight like nothing was wrong. He didn’t even drop his books. He had tightened his stomach up more when he saw the punch coming. His muscles were already tense from the confrontation. Most martial arts had techniques that allowed you to ignore pain. Harry had become quite good at it over the years and could pull it up almost instantly.

“Now, are you done?” Harry asked him.

Emboldened by Harry’s lack of retaliation, the seventh year began taunting Harry again and lightly slapping him upside the head. Asking him what he was going to do about it. He so wanted to beat the cheater up.

“Just stop, please?” Harry asked him.

“Why? Are you chicken?” he asked then knocked Harry’s books out of his hands.

When Harry went down on one knee to pick up his books, the Hufflepuff continued slapping him on top of the head and taunting him.

“I asked you politely to stop that,” Harry told him a little louder. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“Are you going to cry?” he asked mocking him then slapped Harry on the top of the head again.

“No,” Harry said calmly.

“What are you going to do then, huh?” he asked as he continue to slap Harry on the top of the head.

“This,” Harry responded from his kneeling position, then threw an uppercut as hard as he could right into the crotch of the seventh year.

The Hufflepuff had his robe open so it wasn’t in the way, plus his stance was a little wide as he tried to start a fight. When Harry’s fist connected with the boy’s family jewels, the bully fell to his knees and then rolled over onto the floor and into a fetal position, unable to function. He could barely remember to breathe.

Harry saw some of the boy’s friends get angry at what he did to the bully so they headed his way with their hands already forming into fists. Harry left his books there for now and stood back up, taking a step away from the wall and away from his books so he could be ready for them. When the first one reached him and took a swing, Harry immediately performed a swift kick to the side of his head which caused the boy’s fist to miss him. Harry’s kick laid him out cold.

Another was in range so he spun around and kicked the chin of the next one with a spinning back kick that also knocked him out. Two more came at Harry but he kicked one in the knee, dislocating it, and hip threw the other one to the floor, using his momentum against him. Harry spun around and hit the one with the hurt knee using a spinning back fist. He dropped like a rock. Harry then kneed the one he threw to the floor right in the head as he was getting up. This laid him out cold on the floor too.

Harry’s hands and feet were moving at speeds the watchers could barely follow.

With five of the seventh years taken out in seconds by a smaller fourth year, no one else decided to attack. Harry looked around at his handiwork to make sure they weren’t going to get back up and then at all of the others who were watching and realizing Harry Potter was not someone you should make angry.

“Are you happy now?” he asked loudly and agitated. “Are you happy that you forced me to finally defend myself? I’ve been letting you guys get away with this for far too long. I’ve tried to turn the other cheek and walk away because I didn’t want to hurt anyone. However, if you won’t stop then I have no choice but to defend myself. Evidently, these idiots took my passive responses for me being weak. I guess they know better now.”

“Where did you learn to do all that?” asked someone from the stairs.

“That’s none of your business, besides why should I bother answering any of your questions? You all keep calling me a liar and a cheat. Why would you believe anything I say?” he asked in exasperation.

“You all know I’ve never once changed my tune. I repeat, I did not put my name in that cup or have someone older do it for me. You can choose to believe me or not. If you choose not to believe me then that is your problem and not mine. I don’t want to hear any more from you idiots about it. Do you guys have short memories and forgot that my life has nearly been taken every year since I started at this school? Yes! Every. Single. Year! Why I thought this year would be any different is beyond me.”

Harry paused for a second, thinking, while his audience remained quiet.

“We don’t know who put my name in that cup, but I’m quite positive that whoever did it was not doing me any favors. They shut this tournament down over a hundred years ago because of the death toll. I can guarantee the three tasks are going to be extremely dangerous. Why do you think they tried to limit it to people of age only?”

He stared at them all for a couple of seconds to see if anyone responded but they were silent. They were all guilty of treating Harry wrong so no one wanted to draw attention to themselves lest he come after them as well.

“Oh well, I’m sure I’ll find out who entered me by the time the contest is over. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even manage to live through it.”

Harry bent down and picked up his books but before he walked off, he stopped and turned to the watchers.

“One last thing. There will be no more hexing or casting any spells at me. Anyone who tries to hex me from here on out will be spending some time in the infirmary. Enough is enough. Now grow up, all of you! My patience has run out.”

Everyone remained quiet as they watched him walk off down the hall.

oOo

No one seemed to want to mess with Harry after that. The taunting and the hexing dried up completely.

Word had spread like wildfire about Harry’s muggle fighting ability. The five seventh year Hufflepuffs he beat up had to spend a night in the infirmary before Pomfrey would let them leave. Harry was even called to the Headmaster’s office about the incident.

When Harry arrived, he found Dumbledore with all four of the house heads present. Madam Pomfrey was sitting in front of the desk with Cedric Diggory and Susan Bones occupying two other seats. Other than Dumbledore sitting at his desk, the rest were standing.

“Come on in, Harry,” Dumbledore told him, “and have a seat.”

There was just one seat between Madam Pomfrey and Susan Bones so Harry took it and looked up expectantly.

“I understand there was an altercation between you, Harry, and five seventh year Hufflepuffs a couple of days ago. Is this correct?”

“Yes, Headmaster.”

“Mr. Diggory was not there but wanted to say something anyway once you arrived. Miss Bones informs us that she was a witness to the event and wanted to make sure it was reported correctly. Madam Pomfrey has already reported on the condition of the five Hufflepuffs who had to spend a night in the infirmary after the altercation. I also understand that the incident involved all Muggle fighting and no magic was exchanged. I find it interesting that while the five big seventh years were injured enough to require an overnight stay in the hospital wing, you, a fourth year, apparently do not have a mark on you.”

“That’s not true, Headmaster. I have a bruise on my stomach where I was punched.” Harry pulled up his shirt and showed the bruise along with his rippled six-pack. Many eyes widened at the stomach muscles on display. His abs were not just showing, they were very well defined. Susan even licked her lips and was disappointed when he lowered his shirt back down.

“See me after this in the infirmary, Mr. Potter,” insisted Madam Pomfrey. “I’ll put some bruise paste on that and get rid of it and the soreness.”

“I’m fine, Madam Pomfrey. It doesn’t hurt.”

“See me anyway,” she insisted.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Mr. Diggory, I believe you wanted to say something?” asked Dumbledore.

“Yes, I’ve noticed how much Harry has been picked on and abused by the student populace and really noticed how much my own house was guilty of that behavior. I asked them to stop and told them I didn’t want them doing this, but they refused.” Cedric turned to Harry.

“I believed you Harry when you said you didn’t enter and I’m well aware of how each year you have nearly died at this school. I imagine whoever tricked that cup and put your name in, has some bad things planned for you. I’ll be keeping an eye out for you during the tasks. I can promise you that.”

“Thanks, Cedric,” Harry replied quietly. He didn’t realize any of the students believed him.

“Miss Bones?” asked Dumbledore.

Harry was expecting the Hufflepuff to lie and make it look like he was guilty but she surprised him when she started speaking.

“I’m very sorry to say that I started believing all the lies about you, Harry. However, when I saw those seventh years from my own house do that to you, I knew I was on the wrong side of this problem. I don’t know how in the world you put up with all the abuse heaped on you by everyone. How you stood it for so long. All the taunts, the hexes, the name calling, those stupid and childish badges Malfoy came up with, it was terrible.

“Headmaster, you should have said something to the whole school to set them straight or you should of, Professor McGonagall. You’re the deputy head, after all, and his head of house. Threatening the culprits with punishment if they continued harassing Harry would have gone a long way too. Maybe you two can answer that question after I tell what I witnessed?”

They both looked a little uncomfortable at that question. She reminded both of them of her aunt when she spoke that way.

Susan went on to tell about the incident in full detail, making sure they understood Harry’s innocence during the whole thing and the appalling behavior by the one Hufflepuff, along with his four friends who helped him. When she was done, Dumbledore asked to see the memory in his pensieve so they could all witness it together.

Once that was done and everyone was on the same page, although quite awed at Harry’s ability, Dumbledore told everyone the five Hufflepuffs would be punished severely, especially the one. Professor Sprout, with a very angry look in her eyes, insisted she be allowed to assign the punishment, right after she had a very long talk with her entire house. McGonagall and Flitwick announced they would be having a long talk with their own houses as well. Snape acted like he couldn’t be bothered.

Dumbledore and McGonagall gave the excuse that they didn’t realize how bad the bullying was.

They all left after Harry explained that he had taken some martial arts classes when he was younger and left it at that. He refused to go into any detail about it.

Susan stopped Harry in the hall after he finished shaking hands with Cedric and before he left to go on his way.

“Harry, can I have a word please, or do you have someplace you need to go?” she asked.

“I’m just headed to the infirmary before Madam Pomfrey chases me down.”

“Right,” she said it like she understood what he was talking about. “Can I walk with you while we talk?”

“Sure.”

They started walking slowly toward the infirmary as Susan gathered her thoughts.

“Harry, I wish to apologize for ever doubting you. I know we haven’t spent much time together but I never should have believed all the lies I was told about you. It should have been obvious to me that they were believing what they wanted to believe. I may not know you all that well, but I know you well enough to know you aren’t like that. I also know you’re a very honest person and I hate myself for ever forgetting that,” she confessed with sincerity.

Harry stopped walking and turned toward Susan. She did the same.

“I’m so very sorry, Harry. Can you ever forgive me?” she pleaded with him.

Another one who believed him now? Harry’s day was getting better, he thought.

“I already forgave you Susan when you presented your eye witness account in the headmaster’s office. I was half-expecting you to paint me in a bad light. I was pleasantly surprised.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I still feel really bad about it.”

“I’m sure,” he told her. “Thanks for apologizing, Susan,” he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “You are fully forgiven,” he assured her.

“Thank you, Harry!” she said grabbing him in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said into his shoulder then she quickly pulled back. “Oh, I’m sorry. You’re not a hugger, are you? Did that make you uncomfortable?”

“No, not at all. It actually felt good. Thanks!”

“Hang on a second. I bet you haven’t been hugged in a while have you, Harry?” asked Susan who was a big hugger.

“I’m pretty sure you just hugged me a couple of seconds ago.”

“No, I’m talking about lately, since all this started. You must be short on hugs.”

“You have no idea,” he told her. “Actually, I’ve been shorted for a very long time.”

“Then we need to fix that, quick. Come here,” she said pulling him into another hug and just staying there for a good while.

Harry was really enjoying the closeness, especially since he could feel Susan’s breasts smashed up against his upper stomach. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let him go either. It was strange but it felt really good so he hugged her tighter.

Susan’s hands were rubbing his back as they hugged and everywhere she felt a very hard body, no matter where she touched his back. She was hoping to be able to run her fingers over his rock hard abs at some point. She would love to get another look at those.

After a while they stopped hugging and continued on their way to see Madam Pomfrey. Susan was hoping to see his abs again when the paste was applied. She was even considering begging Madam Pomfrey to let her apply it. Madam Pomfrey will probably want to apply it herself though, she thought. I mean, who wouldn’t?

When they walked into the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey greeted them.

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to come hunt you down, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you, Miss Bones?”

“I’m just accompanying Harry. I have some interest in healing so I was wondering if I could watch?”

“That would be up to Mr. Potter. He will have to give permission.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” he responded.

“Alright then, Mr. Potter. Take off your robe and shirt and lay down on the bed right behind you.”

Harry removed his robe and shirt while Susan watched him very closely. Madam Pomfrey went over to a cabinet and brought back some bruise paste. She applied it to the bruise on his abs, spreading it evenly to cover it completely.

“Did you take any additional damage in that fight that I need to attend to, Mr. Potter.”

“No,” he replied.

“What about the slaps to the head, Harry?” Susan reminded him.

Pomfrey looked over at Susan with a question on her face.

“Remember in the memory, Madam Pomfrey? He was slapped mostly on top of the head before and after he was hit in the stomach.”

“That’s right. How’s your head, Mr. Potter.”

“It’s fine. No damage done. He wasn’t actually hitting me hard. He was just taunting me and trying to get me to fight back. Eventually, it worked when he refused to stop and leave me alone.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she replied then ran a couple of scans. “Nothing found. I guess you were right. You can put your shirt back on now and I’ll see you next time, because there’s always a next time with you, Mr. Potter.”

Harry stood up and got dressed again with Susan watching him closely. Pomfrey went to put the bruise paste away.

“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” Harry told her on his way past her and out the door.

“Yes, thank you,” Susan told her distractedly.

Once in the hallway, Susan asked a question.

“Harry, can we hang out together? I noticed you weren’t talking to Ron and Hermione anymore and you’re not actually hanging around with anyone else that I’ve noticed. I would love to be your friend. I’ll even give you more hugs!” she said enthusiastically.

“Are you sure you want to hang out with me, Susan?” he asked seriously. “It could be dangerous considering how everyone feels.”

“Oh, I think once the heads of house have that talk with everyone, things are going to change. Well, maybe not with Slytherin but no one really expects that, especially from Malfoy.”

“Maybe you’re right. Perhaps things are looking up.”

“So, can I hang out with you?” she asked carefully.

“Susan, you had me at hugs,” he said smiling at her. She was so pretty and nice with her strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Susan grabbed him again and hugged him tight. She spoke while hugging him.

“Just so you know, Harry, I’m a true Hufflepuff, loyal to the core and hard working. I suppose our house harassing you was taking our loyalty to Cedric way too far. I’m sorry about that but I promise that this Hufflepuff will never do that again. I will be loyal to you and if you need help preparing for the tasks of the tournament, then I’m your girl …uh, friend.”

“What?” Harry asked pulling back quickly and staring at Susan. “You’re my girlfriend?” he asked confused.

“No! That’s not what I meant. I-I said ‘girl’ but didn’t want you to take it the wrong w-way so amended it with ‘friend.’ I mean …oh boy, …not that I would have anything against going on a date with you or something, Harry. It’s just that… Merlin’s beard, I’m seriously making a mess of this,” she exclaimed putting her head in her hands.

Harry started laughing. He pulled her hands down from her face and she looked up lost and worried. Harry pulled her back into a hug and comforted her.

After a few seconds she told him, “Mmm, you give great hugs, Harry,” but it was muffled into his chest.

Harry understood her though. “I think you give great hugs too, Susan.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Are we good now? The misunderstanding all cleared up?” she asked.

“Yes, all cleared up,” he said, then paused. “Although I’m still thinking about you wanting to date me.”

Susan pulled back from him. “You aren’t going to let me forget this are you?” she asked with a smile.

“Nope,” he said grinning.

She smiled then turned and started walking down the hall again. Harry caught up with her and they walked in companionable silence for a while. Finally, Harry spoke again.

“You know, the more I think about it, the more I think us going on a date is a good idea.”

“Really?” she asked unbelieving.

Susan had always had a bit of a crush on Harry since he got past that awkward pre-teen stage and she started noticing boys.

“Yes, I really like that idea,” he assured her.

“When? First Hogsmeade weekend?”

“Sure, that’ll do. Of course, we should see first if you make it to that date without being hexed to oblivion just for hanging out with me.”

“That’s doubtful. My aunt is the head of the DMLE and most people know that. No one would want to get on her bad side.”

“I didn’t realize that, but that’s really good to know. So,” he was thinking about this, “when we go on this date and I kiss you, your aunt isn’t going to arrest me is she?”

“You want to kiss me?” she asked shocked.

“Well, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do on dates, at least at the end …if not before?” he asked confused. “I’ve never actually been on one myself so I don’t know for sure. This will be my first date.”

“Mine to, but I don’t think you have to kiss on a date unless you just want to. I think first dates are more for getting to know each other better. Then, perhaps, you kiss if you go on another date, since you wouldn’t do that if the first one didn’t go well.”

“That makes sense. Of course, if you’re going to hang out with me a lot then we’re probably going to know each other pretty well even before the date.”

“Right, so maybe we should kiss then?”

“Right now?” Harry asked, stopping in the hall again causing Susan to stop too.

“Well, I was thinking of the date, but we could kiss right now if you want.”

“Are you sure? I’ve never kissed before so I probably won’t be any good at it.”

“I don’t mind, Harry. I’m not experienced myself.” Susan saw the classroom they stopped in front of was empty so she pulled Harry into it. “Come on in here where we won’t be seen. We can try it at least.”

“Okay,” he said worriedly.

They went into the room and shut the door. Then they just looked at each other, feeling nervous. They didn’t know how to start. They both made some hesitant moves before Susan finally took over.

“I know. Let’s do this, Harry. We already know how to hug, so let’s start there.”

Harry gladly stepped up and wrapped Susan in a nice hug. He really didn’t mind hugging her.

“Now,” Susan continued, “we should just move our heads so we can kiss.”

Both of them raised their heads up and looked at each other before slowly closing the gap between their two mouths, tilting their heads slightly to the side so they could kiss. Their lips connected but it was not all that great so they tried again. This time they loosened their lips more, kissing a lot slower for the second try. That was much better for both.

Both of them adjusted more to make it even better and kept kissing for quite a while until they felt they had it about as good as they could get it. What they didn’t realize was they had gone from a simple kiss to full on snogging.

When they finally came up for some air they just hugged each other and sighed.

“I liked that …a lot, Harry.”

“Yes, slow start but fast finish, I’d say.”

Susan laughed. “I agree. We weren’t sure when we started but boy did we improve quickly.” She looked up at him. “Kiss me again, Harry?”

Harry nodded eagerly and proceeded to do just that.

oOo

It was time for the first task and Harry was nervous. It didn’t faze him to have to face another person and defend himself. He was well prepared for that. The problem was, he had never faced a dragon before. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to face a nesting mother dragon for a contest was completely out of their mind, at least in his opinion. Susan felt the same way. Nevertheless, they prepared as best they could, relying on Harry’s strengths.

Harry was to go last, so after the other three champions had their go, Harry was called to start his turn. He had already surprised everyone when he showed up in the tent in strange black clothes, called his ninja-yoroi, instead of the Gryffindor uniform he was given to wear. The ninja-yoroi consisted of a black jacket, black trousers, light sandals, and a hooded cowl. Currently, Harry had the hood and the cowl off and hanging loose around his neck.

“Mr. Potter, why are you not wearing the clothes you were provided for the contest?” asked Mr. Crouch irritably.

Everyone in the tent looked over at Harry to hear his answer because they were all curious. The other three champions were all in similar provided uniforms each in their own colors for their schools or house affiliation like Cedric who had a good bit of yellow on his uniform, representing both Hogwarts and Hufflepuff.

“Because I don’t want to,” Harry replied.

“But they were made specifically for the contest, Mr. Potter,” Crouch insisted.

“None of the rules say I have to wear a provided uniform for the tasks. Besides, the clothes you gave me were in Gryffindor colors. I don’t represent Gryffindor in this tournament. In fact, I don’t even represent Hogwarts, since Cedric is the true Hogwarts champion. I don’t know what school I’m supposed to be the champion for. It wasn’t listed by the person who is trying to kill me by entering my name. Therefore, I’m wearing my own uniform.”

“Now, Harry –,” Dumbledore started.

“No, Professor. It was all of you who failed to do your jobs properly so an underage student wouldn’t end up in this stupid tournament. I imagine if I were a first year, you would still be forcing me to compete. Now, we have to face dragons! You people have lost your minds completely. Given you are all leaders in the magical government, I’m surprised the Ministry of Magic hasn’t imploded in on itself, especially with that buffoon Fudge at the helm.”

“How does he know they’re facing dragons?” asked Bagman in surprise. “We haven’t told them yet.”

Harry was surprised no one reacted to him calling Minister Fudge a buffoon.

“All the champions know we’re facing dragons today, Mr. Bagman,” Cedric informed him.

“But this was supposed to be about facing the unknown,” he complained.

“You seriously want students to face nesting mother dragons without being prepared?” asked Harry. “I rest my case about the Ministry. The evidence speaks for itself.”

“It’s okay, Ludo,” Dumbledore assured him. “Cheating is part of the tradition in this tournament. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mr. Potter is correct that uniforms are not mentioned in the rules,” offered Crouch. “We just wanted all the champions to have a nice uniform to perform the tasks in. Let just get this started, shall we?”

They next pulled the animated miniature dragons from a bag and went in turns facing their dragon.

Harry stepped out into the arena so the audience could see him. It just so happened the dragon saw him as well and immediately charged. She reached the end of her chain and sucked in air to use her fire breath on Harry.

The audience all gasped when the dragon went to attack him, but they were confused when he simply raised his fist into the air. Then it looked like he was throwing something to the ground at his feet. Suddenly a thick cloud of smoke billowed up in front of Harry. When the smoke dissipated, Harry was nowhere to be seen.

The dragon was sniffing the air and listening carefully, trying to locate where the man went but she could hear nothing but the crowd of people way above her. She couldn’t smell the man either and no matter how hard she looked she couldn’t see him.

Harry had disappeared behind a large boulder after the smoke obscured their vision. The side of the boulder he was on was casting a deep shadow. Harry had already put his hood and cowl back on his head. Plus, before he ever entered the arena, he had cast spells on himself that masked both his sound and scent.

For the longest time the dragon waited, along with the audience, to see Harry again but he was not coming back out. After a while, the judges were discussing stopping it and checking on Harry. Suddenly, they heard someone from the audience say loudly.” Hey! The golden egg is gone!”

Everyone looked and sure enough the golden egg was no longer with the other eggs. They looked around the arena to see if they could find it. Suddenly they saw Harry appear stepping out of a shadow close to the exit. He held up the golden egg for all to see then turned and left the arena. The mother dragon was still facing the other way, waiting for him to come out of the rocks he disappeared into.

The audience all began to talk, wondering how he did that. Some of the Muggleborns couldn’t help but be reminded of a ninja movie they saw in the past.

Harry’s scores were a mix bag of tricks. Karkaroff scored him low and Viktor Krum high, even though Harry did much better than he did. Bagman was the only one to give him a 10. The rest took off points for not being able to see how he did it.

When the judges asked him to explain how he accomplished that, Harry refused with minimal explanation.

“I used misdirection,” he explained. “Other than that, it’s none of anyone else’s business but mine.”

Harry put his egg under his arm, then turned around and left with Susan following him.

Hermione and Ron wanted to talk to him and apologize so they could be friends again but Harry ignored their calls. He only waited long enough for Susan to catch up with him before they set off together back to the castle.

oOo

A few days later, after Transfiguration class, Neville let Harry know that he never once doubted him, that he always believed Harry when he said he didn’t cheat. He had actually defended Harry in the common room many times but Harry was never around during those times to witness it for himself.

A couple of days later, Hermione and Ron finally cornered him and apologized, begging for him to take them back. Harry explained that he accepts their apologies and forgives them, but it would take some time before he would ever want to hang out with them again.

“You two have been around me more than anyone else in this school,” he told them. “You know me better than anyone else here. How in the world did you so easily toss me aside believing I was a cheater and a liar? What have I ever done to cause you two to think I’m either one of those things? If you can’t trust me then I can’t be a close friend any longer. You hurt me deeply. I was already hurting after discovering I was setup in this dangerous tournament, then you two have the nerve to abandon me when I needed my best friends the most at that time? Sorry, but this is going to take a while. You will need to earn my trust again.”

They just looked down. They could not look him in the eye.

Harry wasn’t missing his former best friends too much. He had a new best friend named Susan Bones. She gave great hugs and loved to snog him senseless. In fact, she was not just his best friend now, but his girlfriend too.

As Christmas break was approaching, the Yule Ball was announced. Harry immediately asked Susan to be his date for the dance. She was happy to accept. They both made the next trip to Hogsmeade to find some proper attire for the ball. Susan had also started teaching Harry to dance. He picked it up very quickly due to all of his martial arts training. He had tremendous control over his entire body.

The slow songs were the hardest for him to learn. Since they were holding each other so close, it was very difficult not to stop and kiss each other in the middle of it. Somehow they muddled through though.

The night of the ball, Susan was wearing a blue dress that matched her eyes. She was something to behold. Harry had on navy blue dress robes with a shirt in the same bright color blue Susan was wearing. When the champions were at the entrance to the Great Hall, waiting to go in, Harry was still waiting on Susan to arrive.

Fleur was there with Roger Davies from Ravenclaw. He was barely keeping it together in the presence of the veela. Cedric was accompanying Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. They were both seekers for their house teams. Viktor was accompanied by Hermione. That was a shock, but then again he hadn’t been around her lately.

“Mr. Potter, where is your date?” asked McGonagall. “The champions must have a date to open the dancing.”

“She’ll be here, Professor. After all, you can’t rush perfection,” he said with a smile.

McGonagall smirked but then they all turned to see a vision of beauty approaching them. It was Susan and Harry was speechless.

“My, Miss Bones, don’t you look lovely tonight,” McGonagall complemented her. “I’m sure your Aunt Amelia would be very proud.”

“Thank you, Professor. That’s very kind,” Susan responded.

“Mr. Potter, aren’t you going to say anything?” McGonagall was worried about her Gryffindor not acting appropriately and complimenting his date.

“I-I would, Professor, that is …if I could get my brain to reengage.”

There were snickers all around by the professor, the champions, and their dates. Susan looked very pleased at Harry’s reaction.

“You’ll do, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said smiling. “Now I want you all to line up. Mr. Krum and Miss Granger will be first, Miss Delacour and Mr. Davies will be second, Mr. Diggory and Miss Chang will be third, and Mr. Potter and Miss Bones will be last. Any questions?” she asked as they lined up. “No? Let’s do this then. Lead the way, Mr. Krum.”

They all walked in arm in arm with their dates with everyone staring at them. Many of the fourth years couldn’t believe Hermione Granger was Viktor Krum’s date and how good she looked. Of course, Fleur, garnered plenty of attention of her own and not just from her besotted date. Cedric and Cho looked like models walking down the runway, both handsome and beautiful.

Then there was Harry and Susan.

They heard a few gasps right after McGonagall told them to smile and directed them to enter the Great Hall. People were just staring at them very intently as they walked by.

“ _Harry!”_ Susan whispered. “ _They’re all staring at me!”_

“ _It’s okay, Susan. I’ve got you.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_“Besides, can you blame them? I can barely take my eyes off of you.”_

Susan blushed and held his arm a little tighter as they neared the head table and took their seats for the meal.

After they ate, it was time to open the dance. Harry expertly offered his hand and guided Susan onto the dance floor. They both danced flawlessly. After the first opening dance, students began to join in on the fun and started dancing too. Fleur suggested that the champions switch partners for one dance. Harry ended up with Fleur, Cedric with Susan, Viktor with Cho, and Hermione with Roger.

“You don’t appear to be affected at all by my allure, Mr. Potter,” Fleur said in heavily accented English as they danced.

“No, I suppose I’m not,” he said, like it never occurred to him before.

“Very interesting. I was hoping that Roger would be a good date but he’s having difficulties in my presence,” she said sadly.

“That must be difficult at times for you, Miss Delacour.” Harry guided her around another couple that was close to running into them.

“Yes, it is both a blessing and a curse, I’m afraid. Please, call me Fleur?”

“Certainly. Feel free to call me Harry.”

“Thank you, Harry.” They danced a bit before she spoke again. “You were most impressive in the first task. I was not expecting a fourth year to do so well against a dragon. I was afraid for you when you drew the horntail, the biggest and meanest of the lot. However, now I am glad it was you and not me who had to face that beast. You were outstanding even though no one knows how you pulled it off. You were the only one who didn’t get hurt too. No one knew you already had your egg until you chose to show it to us. Not even your dragon knew.”

‘And, that’s how I like it, Fleur. Keep them guessing.”

She laughed. “I like you, Harry Potter. Miss Bones is a very lucky girl.”

Harry thought about that for a second, then replied, “No, it’s the other way around. I’m the lucky one.”

“She is certainly looking great in that dress. Don’t you think so, Harry.”

“She certainly does. Say, you don’t bat for the other team do you, Fleur?”

“Non,” she laughed. “I just recognize great beauty when I see it.”

“Me too,” he said looking lovingly over at Susan.

“Oh, you have it bad,” she observed smiling.

“I sure do,” he agreed as the song ended. “Thank you for the dance, Fleur. It was very enjoyable.”

“Thank you, Harry,” she said kissing him on each cheek before they parted.

They each returned to their dates.

“What was that all about?” asked Susan.

“I think she just wanted to dance with someone who wouldn’t drool on her. Poor Roger, he can’t seem to focus past her allure.” Susan smiled when she looked over at the boy, seeing he was lost again. “She was impressed with how well I did in the first task,” Harry continued. “She also said that she likes me.”

“Of course she does,” Susan agreed.

“She said you were a very lucky girl.”

“She’s right about that. I am.”

“I disagreed and told her I was the lucky one. She then caught me looking at you and told me I had it bad. I didn’t argue with her.”

Susan smiled and kissed him.

Harry stayed with Susan the rest of the ball. They danced and then danced some more, only stopping on occasion for something to drink.

When Harry dropped Susan off at Hufflepuff, they spent a good bit of time around the corner from the entrance snogging each other senseless until they finally had to breathe. They then said goodnight so they could both get some sleep.

oOo

Harry woke up on Christmas morning with presents at the end of his bed. Dobby had made sure that all the presents that came for Harry in his dorm room were sent to Harry’s trunk bedroom in the abandoned classroom.

No one, including Susan, knew where Harry was staying. She wasn’t even aware he was no longer living in Gryffindor tower. He decided that he would continue to stay in his trunk through the rest of the school year. He saw no reason to change now, especially since he was supposedly a champion from a different school.

Just for grins, he named it the ‘Harry Potter School of Magic and Martial Arts.’ He also enjoyed his privacy and was able to get more work done that way. Harry took precautions whenever he left or went back to his trunk to make sure he couldn’t be followed. He made great use of the shadows and his invisibility cloak to stay hidden.

While working on preparation for the second task with Susan and Neville, they figured out the riddle from the egg. They were worried about what they thought it meant though. Harry was counting on Susan being taken just before the task since she was the one most likely to be used as a hostage for him and what he would miss the most.

They also figured out that the Yule Ball’s main purpose was to show the judges who the dates were for the champions at the dance, making them targets as hostages for the second task. They didn’t think Dumbledore and the others would put the hostages at real risk, nonetheless they were going to be on high alert through it all.

Neville came through for Harry when he recommended Gillyweed for breathing under water. It also gave you gills, webbed hands, and flippered feet for faster movement through the water. It even had an antidote to reverse the transformation if you quit before the hour is up. Harry bought some extra of both so he could practice. He went swimming in the Black Lake a couple of times to get an idea where everything was. He found the Merfolk village and where the likely place would be to keep the hostages.

Harry also got help from his godfather and Remus Lupin. They went and picked up some items for him in the Muggle world that he wanted to use for the task. They ended up buying the best and most expensive ones they could find. After all, according to Sirius, nothing was too good for his godson. They then made sure Harry got the items in plenty of time so he could prepare.

February 24th arrived and Harry could not find Susan anywhere. He looked for her in the Great Hall and as he walked down to the Black Lake for the second task. He also didn’t see Hermione or Cho anywhere. Others were looking for them as well and couldn’t find them. However, he did see Roger Davies in the stands. Of course, Harry wasn’t surprised that Fleur wouldn’t miss him. The question was, who did they use for her?

Then he heard Fleur in a panic because she couldn’t find her little sister. Okay, looks like all the hostages have been accounted for.

Harry leaned over to Fleur who was looking great in a silver one-piece bathing suit, although she looked a bit chilled from the cold weather. “Fleur?” she turned to Harry. “I believe your sister is your hostage for the task, so she is likely in the lake right now. Susan, Hermione, and Cho are all missing as well. We each have to do our part and rescue them.”

“Right, Harry. That was what I was afraid of. She is too young for this nonsense. Thank you for letting me know.” She looked out at the lake for a few seconds then turned back to Harry. “By the way, what are you wearing?”

“It’s a Muggle invention. It’s called a wetsuit. Keeps me warmer out here and in the water.”

“Smart,” she replied then went back to worrying about her sister.

The cannon was fired and the task was started. Viktor got in the water and transformed just his head and neck into a shark head before taking off. Both Cedric and Fleur made use of the Bubblehead charm as they entered the water. Harry, on the other hand, did something completely different.

Harry raised his wand and summoned his backpack. From inside he pulled out what looked like a toy which he placed in the water at the shoreline. Harry then banished his backpack to its original location and enlarged the toy. It grew to a considerable size before Harry hopped on it and started the engine.

Many people were wondering what it was until a few Muggleborn students educated them.

“HE HAS A JET SKI!” they yelled in shock and almost in unison.

Of course, they then had to describe what a jet ski did, but it was a moot point when Harry took off on it across the water. They could easily see what it does then.

Harry sped across the lake at high speed until he reached the point that he determined was above the Merfolk village. His jet ski was shooting a high plume into the air behind him to the crowd’s surprise. Sirius really had bought a big, powerful jet ski.

Once Harry reached the spot he cut the engine on his jet ski, took out his Gillyweed and swallowed it, then dove from the jet ski down into the water. The Gillyweed took effect like normal so Harry used his magic to enhance the speed of his hands and feet to propel him through the water very quickly to the hostages.

When he arrived all the hostages he expected were there and there was no sign of the other champions. Fleur’s sister really was young. She couldn’t be any older than eight or nine at the most. What were these people thinking? Harry then decided he better get a move on and get this over with.

He cut Susan lose and pulled her to the surface toward his jet ski. She awoke when her head cleared the water. They only had to swim a little distance to get to the jet ski since Harry could see the bottom of it bobbing in the water. Harry reached up into a compartment on his jet ski and pulled out the antidote for the Gillyweed before swallowing it. His gills and fins disappeared so he climbed on board and helped Susan up to sit behind him. She wrapped her cold hands around his waist and snuggled up for warmth.

Harry cranked the jet ski again and took off back to land. He was way ahead of the other champions. He only needed about twenty minutes to complete the entire task. As they were waiting for the other champions, Fleur appeared injured so they helped her out of the water. Susan was being warmed up and looked over by Madam Pomfrey at the moment so Harry went to Fleur and asked what happened as they floated her to the medical tent.

“I was attacked by the grindylows, Harry. I couldn’t fight them off properly in the water since I am a creature of fire.”

“Rest easy, Fleur. Madam Pomfrey is the best and she will fix you right up.”

“HARRY!” she raised up while floating. “MY SISTER! MY LITTLE SISTER!”

“Don’t worry, Fleur, I’ll go get her.”

“Thank you, Harry,” she said as she laid back down.

Harry hurried back to his jet ski. There were a few purebloods standing around it looking it over closely. Harry pushed through them.

“Stand back! I have to save a little girl,” he told them then jumped on his jet ski, cranked it, then took off. The plume of water it caused soaked the group of purebloods who were standing behind it. There were a few chuckles from the crowd who witnessed it. Luckily, they knew how to cast drying and warming charms as they went back to their seats.

Harry went right back to the same place and parked his jet ski, took his last batch of Gillyweed, and jumped back in. He found Cho gone and Viktor leaving with Hermione. As he got closer, he saw the little girl start moving and struggling with her binding.

Harry put on an even bigger burst of speed to get to her. He then breathed air into her mouth. She calmed down a little as he cut her loose, but as he grabbed her and was going to head for the surface, he found themselves surrounded by merfolk with tridents.

“ _Only one,”_ a big one said.

“ _Her champion is not coming. She was hurt by the grindylows and this little girl was drowning. So get out of my way so I can save her.”_

They all pointed their tridents at him so Harry pulled his wand, pulled the little girl closer to him and twirled the wand above his head in the water.

Before they could blink, the merfolk were caught in a whirlpool that flung them about thirty feet away from Harry and it partially stunned them.

Harry turned to the little girl and gave her some more air before taking off at a pace the girl was astounded at. They made it to the jet ski so Harry helped her up onto it. He then reached into the same compartment and took another antidote to the Gillyweed before climbing up onto the jet ski in front of the girl. Harry turned and cast a drying and warming charm on her and himself.

“Your sister was stopped by the grindylows so I volunteered to go get you. I’m Harry Potter, by the way.”

Her eyes got really big after hearing who he was.

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

“Gabrielle.”

“Hang on to my waist, Gabrielle, very tight now, and don’t let go. Understand?”

“Oui,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her savior.

Harry cranked up the jet ski which startled Gabrielle, but she never turned loose of Harry. A bigger fright appeared behind them though. A big male merman was trying to climb onto the jet ski to stop them. The crowd gasped in horror watching the scene. However, Harry took off fast back to the shore. This threw the mermen off the back of the jet ski and then the water plume hit him as well. He just gave up at that point and returned to his home.

When they reached the shore, Gabrielle had to be told she could turn loose now. She was given a towel and a blanket to warm up with. Madam Pomfrey took her to her sister and family in the medical tent then checked her over really good.

Both Cedric and Viktor were above water with their hostages now and close to shore, so it looked like the task was soon to be over. Harry shrunk and dried his jet ski and summoned his backpack. He put the jet ski in the backpack then slung it over one shoulder.

Dumbledore walked up to him and ask what happened. Harry told him about Gabrielle waking up early and the merfolk trying to stop them while she was drowning and what he had to do to get away from them to save her. Dumbledore then spoke to the chief of the Merfolk at the water’s edge before coming back to the judges who then took a long while.

Harry was sure he was now ahead in points but he really didn’t care. All he really cared about was finding who put his name in that cup and why. He was thinking about that when Susan came up and kissed him, distracting him from his thoughts.

“You know the little girl you saved, Harry? Gabrielle?”

“Yes,”

“She was so cute. She was telling her parents and her sister that you kissed her …twice even.”

Harry smiled and chuckled.

“However, when they asked her when you kissed her, she said while you were both under water so nobody could see you. They then asked her to tell the story from the beginning. She told them she woke up early and was struggling to breathe. She also couldn’t get loose from her binds, but then Harry Potter showed up and kissed her. This gave her one breath which she had to hold as Harry fought off a whole bunch of Merfolk with spears that had three points. I think she was talking about tridents,” Susan added.

“Yes. It was tridents.”

“Then she said that you hugged her real close and threw all the merfolk far away from the both of you. Right after that, you kissed her again, which gave her another breath to hold,” Susan laughed. “Then you took off super-fast to reach the surface. Her hero not only dried her but warmed her as well before giving her a fun ride on his special Muggle machine.”

Harry smiled. “Did they explain to her what I was really doing to help her breathe?”

“Yes, but it’s doubtful she’s ever going to believe it. As far as she’s concerned, you are her savior who hugged her and kissed her twice before rescuing her from the bottom of the Black Lake. No one is going to convince her otherwise,” she said smiling.

“Oh, brother.”

“Oh, look. The whole family is headed this way!”

Harry turned toward where Susan was looking and sure enough, they were headed his way. Harry put his arm around Susan and pulled her close. He let her go when the mother came right up to him.

“Mr. Potter, thank you so much for saving my little girl. You are an amazing person. I am so thankful for you.” She then hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks before allowing her husband to step forward.

“If you need anything, Mr. Potter, anything at all, you only need to ask,” he said shaking Harry’s hand. “We can’t thank you enough for saving Gabrielle.”

“I was glad I could help. No need to thank me.” Harry then looked down at Gabrielle. “And how are you, Gabrielle? Warmed up and feeling better?”

She just nodded, smiling up at him.

“That’s good. My vote is we don’t go back in the lake at all for the rest of the winter. Maybe, just maybe, after it warms up, and only if I really feel like it.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Harry,” said Fleur, “and thank you for saving my little sister,” she then hugged Harry and kissed him on both cheeks.

Harry turned to the parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Delacour? Have you met Susan Bones, my girlfriend? Fleur has but I don’t know if you’ve been introduced yet.”

“No, but it’s very nice to meet you, Miss Bones,” said Mrs. Delacour shaking her hand.

“Bones, Bones, now where have I heard that name before?” asked Mr. Delacour.

“Perhaps you’ve heard of my aunt, Amelia Bones? She’s the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

“Ah, yes, I do remember now and have met your aunt once before. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Are you ready, Susan?” asked Harry.

“Ready for what?”

“To head back to the castle.”

“But they haven’t announced the scores yet, Harry.”

“I don’t really care about the scores, Susan. I would be far more interested if they could tell me who put my name in that blasted cup and most especially why.”

“You should be in the lead, Harry,” said Fleur.

“Probably. You know, these first two tasks have been bad enough. I think the last one is going to be telling. I’ll likely get my answer at that point. I just hope I live through it.”

“Why would you say that, Mr. Potter?” asked Mr. Delacour.

“Oh, since you guys aren’t from here then you wouldn’t be familiar with my past at this premiere school of magic,” he said sarcastically.

“What do we not know, Harry?” asked Fleur.

“My life has not only been threatened, but I came close to death at least once each year I’ve been attending this school. In my first year, I faced a fully grown mountain troll that was let into the castle on Halloween and faced my possessed Defense teacher at the end of the year where he tried to kill me. Oh, did I mention that he was possessed by Voldemort?”

“Voldemort is still alive?” asked Mrs. Delacour.

“Somewhat. He was a wraith in my first year. Somehow he survived fully dying. He must have done something to prevent it. Anyway, I had to face a 60-foot basilisk in my second year and fight off around one hundred or so dementors in my third year.”

“Mon Dieu!” exclaimed Mr. Delacour.

“And, that brings us to this year. Someone entered my name into a dangerous tournament meant for adults. I’m only fourteen, but yet I was forced to compete as if I was the one that put my name in. Why doesn’t the magical contract apply to the person who actually did the deed? I could have sat out of this tournament and watched them lose their magic for doing that to me. But, I was assured that the contract applied to me since my name came out of the cup. Anyone else see a problem with this?”

“I do not envy you, Harry Potter,” replied Mr. Delacour. “But I know you are a good man. I have faith that you will prevail at whatever they plan to throw at you. Now, if you would like some advice I recommend you go talk to the goblins at the bank soon. I have a feeling you have been emancipated by this tournament, since you were forced to compete. However, given you are a Potter and the last one, I would think you should have been emancipated on your fourteenth birthday already. Go see your account manager about this.”

“Thank you, sir. You have been most helpful,” Harry said with all sincerity.

oOo

“I need to go to Diagon Alley this next Saturday,” Harry told Dumbledore and McGonagall at meal time a few days later.

“Whatever for?” asked McGonagall.

“Personal family business at Gringotts. It can’t wait.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Harry,” responded Dumbledore. “None of the professors, nor I, will be available to accompany you.”

“That’s okay. Madam Bones is coming on Saturday morning to pick up Susan for some family business and has agreed to accompany me to Gringotts as well. In fact, I’m pretty sure she will insist on me coming with them. As I said, this can’t wait.”

“Very well,” agreed Dumbledore. “We will speak to Amelia when she arrives on Saturday. Thanks for letting us know, Harry.”

Harry walked back to the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to Susan, Cedric, and Cho.

“How did it go?” asked Susan.

“Good. They want to talk to your aunt on Saturday when she arrives, but it should be all set.”

“Excellent!” Susan said.

“Do you mind if I ask what this is about, Harry?” asked Cedric.

“I would love to tell you but it would be best to wait until after this Saturday when I get back. It’s very important no one knows what I’m doing until it’s done. I promise it’s nothing bad. It’s actually really good and concerns my family, the Potters.”

“Oh, private family matter? Then say no more and forget I asked,” he assured him. “Just let me know if I can help you in any way, Harry.”

“Thanks, Cedric.”

On Saturday morning, Amelia Bones showed up at the school during breakfast. She made her way to the staff table and stopped in front of Dumbledore who had stood when the DMLE director walked into the Great Hall.

“Albus, I need to take my niece and Harry Potter to Gringotts today. They both have some business to deal with at the bank. I’ll bring them back today right after they’re finished.”

“Very well. May I ask what is so important that couldn’t wait until school is out?”

“I’m afraid I can’t give you specifics. Susan is needed for some private Bones family business that came up recently and from what I understand, Mr. Potter also has some private family business with the bank.”

“I see. Then we will see you when you return, Amelia.”

“Bye, Albus. Bye, Minerva.”

Amelia turned around, located Harry and Susan just as they both stood up, then walked over to them. Susan hugged her aunt to greet her.

“Are you both ready?” she asked.

“Yes,” Susan answered while Harry just nodded.

“Let’s go then,” she told them.

Amelia turned and headed out the doors of the Great Hall with Susan and Harry following behind her. All the students and staff were watching them leave, wondering what it was all about.

They chatted while walking to the gate, then Amelia apparated herself and both of them to Diagon Alley. Susan didn’t really need to come as Amelia could take care of any Bones related business. However, since Susan did accompany her she was going to include her in the family business so she could learn it herself.

They split with Harry once inside the bank. Amelia and Susan went with their account manager and Harry went with his, an older goblin named Kurlig.

When it was all over with, Harry was indeed emancipated due to the tournament and there was no need for the goblins to file for emancipation, since he was fourteen and the last Potter. Harry received full access to the family vaults, funds, and properties on that day. He no longer needed to stay with his horrible relatives. This made him very happy.

Most of the Potter properties were quite large and all the Potter elves were either killed or had died off. However, Harry had Dobby and he felt he could easily add more house elves if it was called for. He noticed Dobby was a little sweet on another elf named Winky. She was probably the best candidate to add as a second elf.

Kurlig took Harry to the Potter family vault so he could look around. Harry found portkeys in a drawer that went to several houses. They were each labeled with the house they belonged to, so he pocketed them and took them with him.

It was disappointing to find out there were no pictures in the vault, especially magical ones of his parents. He did come across an old picture stuck to the wall of the vault in the back though. He looked like an ancestor of sorts since he had black messy hair, even if he dressed funny.

“You definitely look like a Potter, young man,” the man in the picture said to him when Harry approached the picture.

“I’m Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans, sir. Who might you be?”

“I am Rayburn Ignotus Potter, your grandfather with very many greats in front of it. My friends called me Ray. I remember James and Lily. They were the last ones in here before you arrived. It’s been quite a few years, I believe.”

“It has. I’m fourteen now and the last of our line. My parents were killed when I was just one year old by a dark lord.”

“Oh! So, you’re the one of prophecy?”

“What prophecy?” Harry asked confused.

“No one has told you yet?” he asked.

“I’ve never been told of a prophecy about me. Why would there be a prophecy about me?”

“If your parents were killed by a dark lord then he must have found out about the prophecy and came after you and your parents, but you survived, didn’t you? Against all odds, you survived.”

Harry nodded, still confused.

“That’s part of the prophecy, Harry. He would come after you but he wouldn’t be able to kill you for some reason, something he wasn’t expecting.”

“I’m pretty sure my parents, or at least my mother, did something to save me. He lost his body that night, but came back as a wraith. I saw him in my first year at Hogwarts in that form. Look, I was only one when he attacked the night my parents died. What could I possibly do at that age?”

“That is the question, Harry. The prophecy was not clear on who was doing what in the initial meeting, but it was clear that you and he were destined to face each other for a final time, with only one of you walking away from that confrontation.”

“So this prophecy says I have to kill Voldemort or he’s going to kill me?”

“Precisely.”

“I guess I better be ready then.”

“You’re a Potter, Harry. That’s what we do. We protect those who can’t protect themselves. Then we politely take out the trash.”

“Thanks, Great-Grandfather Ray.”

“Anytime, Harry.”

Harry left after refilling his money pouch. He then met up with Susan and her aunt in the lobby of Gringotts. Amelia invited them to walk around Diagon Alley with her for a bit and promised she would take them to lunch when it was time to eat again. Harry hadn’t eaten at all that day so far and Susan had started doing the same and eating like Harry. They both skipped breakfast which was normal for them. They usually ate at lunchtime and usually at dinner too, but not always. It depended on how much they ate for lunch.

Susan noticed that Harry was very quiet as they walked around Diagon Alley. Amelia noticed a change in him as well.

“Everything alright there, Mr. Potter?” she asked.

“Harry, you’ve been very quiet ever since we left the bank,” said Susan. “Did something happen besides being emancipated? I would think you would be happy about being declared an adult.”

“Sorry. Something did happen …but I can’t talk about it, …at least not yet.”

“Just remember that I am always here for you if you need me, Harry. I meant that when I made that promise.”

“And, if you need an adult to bounce any of these issues off of, I promise to keep it to myself and help you in any way that I can,” Amelia assured him.

“Thank you, …both. I’ll put it aside for now and think on it more later,” he promised.

They had lunch together at a restaurant and enjoyed themselves. Amelia was surprised when both her niece and Harry only ate steaks for lunch. Harry explained the healthier diet to her and she could see for herself that they were both looking very healthy. Their faces were practically glowing and Harry looked to be all muscle.

After they returned to school, Harry went immediately to Dumbledore’s office and barged right in. Unfortunately, there was a meeting going on with the Headmaster and the staff. Harry stopped in his tracks.

“Mr. Potter! What is the meaning of this?” asked McGonagall.

Dumbledore noticed the look on his face, so asked him nicely, “Harry? What’s wrong?”

Harry looked at Dumbledore, then the other professors before he spoke. They were all wondering what was wrong now.

“I apologize, professors, for the interruption. I wasn’t thinking straight when I barged in.” He turned to Dumbledore. “Headmaster, I need to talk with you as soon as you are available. I have something important to discuss.”

Dumbledore just nodded as Harry turned around and exited the office. What could be the problem, he wondered? Did it have to do with his Potter business at the bank? He would have to wrap up the staff meeting quickly and see to this as soon as possible.

oOo

Once they were done with the staff meeting, Dumbledore called a house elf to locate Harry.

“Liddy?”

_Pop!_

“Yes, Headmaster, sir? How can Liddy be of service?”

“Can you please find Harry Potter for me and let him know that I can meet with him now?”

“Yes! Liddy will be taking care of that for you sir.”

_Pop!_

Liddy knew that Dobby was Harry Potter’s elf and he was blocking all other elves from sensing where his master was, so she simply called Dobby. She then related the message to Dobby who then found Harry and let him know. Job accomplished.

Harry appeared at Dumbledore’s door but knocked this time.

“Come in, Harry.”

Harry walked in and shut the door behind him. He then turned to Dumbledore.

“Why haven’t you told me about the prophecy?” Harry asked calmly.

“You know about the prophecy?” Dumbledore asked in shock.

“I’ve asked you before why Voldemort wants me dead and you have refused to tell me. I had to find out from a portrait in the Potter Family vault. He was surprised I didn’t know. Once I heard that Voldemort and I will have to face each in the end, where only one of us will survive, I was wondering that myself.”

“Harry, you asked me that at the end of your first year. You were only eleven at the time. Much too young to hear such a thing and to take on such a heavy burden. I couldn’t share that with you at that age.”

“Exactly when did you plan to tell me? What age were you waiting on?”

“I wasn’t looking for a specific age. I was playing it by ear, but it’s been very difficult for me to burden you with such a thing.”

“Don’t you think it’s a big possibility that Voldemort could be behind my name coming out of that cup? I need to know if I’m going to have to fight him to the death so I can properly prepare for it. I also have a feeling that all will come to light during the third task. I may be wrong but highly doubt it. Nothing has happened yet in the first two tasks to show who was behind it. I think that’s about to change.”

“I’m sorry, Harry. Forgive an old man who wants to protect you. I know I haven’t done a very good job of it, but I’ve tried to control at least the things I could. There’s just been so much that I couldn’t control or foresee in your life so I feel like I’ve failed you over and over.”

“Maybe it’s time you let go of the reins, Professor. After all, I’m emancipated now and control my own life. I expect full disclosure from you from now on when the information concerns me and I’ll deal with it.”

“You’re emancipated?”

“Yes. Being forced into this tournament automatically declared me an adult, although I could have filed for emancipation since I turned fourteen and I’m the last Potter.”

“I forgot about that law, Harry, but since the tournament promoted you, you didn’t have to file at all, did you?”

“No, it was automatic.”

“Another thing I didn’t see coming. I must be getting old.”

“No offense, Professor, but you are old.”

Dumbledore laughed. “I suppose from your perspective as a fourteen year old, I would appear quite ancient. Between you and me, Harry, I am very old.”

“That’s not a problem for you, Professor. You don’t look a day over 300!”

“Ouch!” he said laughing. “That one hurt.” Dumbledore just stopped and looked at Harry. “I’m afraid I’ve greatly underestimated you, my boy. You were more than ready to know about your destiny.”

“Thank you, sir. Now tell me how Tom managed to survive after getting his body destroyed.”

“Tom used some very dark magic so his soul wouldn’t leave this plane of existence if someone happened to kill him. That’s how he survived on Halloween of 1981, even though his body was killed. You saw him later as a wraith at the end of your first year after he quit possessing Professor Quirrell. As long as he stays in wraith form, there will be very little he can do. I’m sure at some point he will find a way to regain his body. You will then need to kill him.”

“Can he do it again once he has a new body? And, will I have to keep killing him every time he comes back? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“No, Harry. He can only do that ritual once. It won’t work if he gains a new body. In fact, if he does, his new body will be more of a magical construct rather than a normal body. However, he needs to be killed quickly before he finds some different dark magic that will work to bring him back again. He may even be able to create it himself given enough time. He was a very talented and smart student. He made Head Boy in his last year here.”

“And yet he became a monster with a god complex. What a wasted life.”

oOo

The time for the third task finally arrived and the champions were instructed to head to the starting point. Susan walked down with Harry from the castle. Stands were erected for the audience to watch, although what they were going to see while the champions were in the maze, was a good question. The hedge walls of the maze were much taller than the contestants, so viewing was going to be rough, even for magic to overcome.

Harry was indeed in the lead for the tournament so he was going to be allowed to enter first. They had devised times that the champions could enter the maze after Harry. It was based on their placing in the tournament and point spread. Cedric was in second, followed by Viktor, then Fleur who was in last place. Cedric had to wait several minutes before he could enter then Viktor had to wait, and then Fleur had to wait after that.

Dumbledore gave some warnings to the champions and then laid out what was what for the audience, instructing them that whoever made it to the center of the maze first and retrieved the Triwizard trophy, would be the winner of the tournament.

When the cannon went off, Harry wasted no time getting into the maze. Once he was out of sight of everyone, he pulled a small backpack out of his pocket and enlarged it back to normal size. You were only allowed a wand but Harry sensed something was going to happen during the last task and he wanted to be fully ready to face whatever was coming at him.

Ever since he began enhancing his body with magic to perform his martial arts training, Harry had started noticing that he was getting better at sensing things as well. So far it had been extremely accurate too.

The magically expanded black backpack contained all of Harry’s ninja outfit and weapons. He quickly put them all on and used his hood and cowl. He included the backpack. His two swords were in sheaths at his back with both handles sticking up at angles behind his shoulders. He also had his blowgun with poisoned darts, throwing stars, throwing spikes, Manriki chain, hand claws, and foot spikes.

Last, but not least, Harry cast spells to mask his scent and sound.

As soon as he was ready, Harry ducked into shadow and made his way quickly toward the center of the maze.

The other champions eventually were all in the maze with Harry, but they were having a slightly more difficult time dealing with all the creatures and traps that were set in there. They couldn’t creep past in the shadows unnoticed like Harry could so were held up quite a bit.

Once Harry finally reached the spot where he could see the trophy up ahead, he started moving towards it. He was surprised to hear a noise behind him. He turned and saw Cedric headed his way and a large acromantula was closing in on him from behind. The spider leaped, so Harry yelled.

“CEDRIC! DROP!”

Cedric did as he was told and dropped to the ground, just as a spike flew over him and embedded itself into the small brain of the acromantula. It’s body sailed over Cedric’s prone one and landed in a heap in front of him, dead.

Cedric slowly got up and walked around the dead spider and over to Harry.

“Thanks, Harry. You really are a ninja, aren’t you?”

“You know about ninjas?” he asked the pureblood as they started walking toward the trophy.

“Well, I was told about them after we saw you in the first task. I checked out a movie with Cho over the holidays since she’s a bit more knowledgeable about the Muggle world than I am. It was fun.”

“Cedric, I should tell you that I fully expect that something bad is about to happen concerning why I was entered in this tournament.”

“We should face it together then,” he offered.

“I would love to have us both share the win Cedric. I would even prefer to step aside and have you win. I really don’t care about the tournament. I only care about knowing why I was entered. I’m pretty sure I’m about to find out because we are supposedly at the end of this task and nothing has happened yet. Can’t you feel it, though? I just know it’s about to start. All my senses are firing.”

“What do you want to do then?” asked Cedric willing to help.

“I want you to stay here and let me take the trophy. I’ll face whatever is waiting on me because I’m ready. It’s the reason I cheated and brought all my ninja gear with me into the maze. I just knew it was going to start with this last task.”

“I fully believe you are the true champion, Harry, so deserve to take the trophy by yourself. You didn’t have to save me from that spider back there. You could have gone on, taken the trophy, and won. But I’m telling you that I can help you. We should take the trophy at the same time and face whatever is out there. Two wands are better than one, my friend.”

“I don’t doubt your skills, Cedric, but I’m afraid you’re going to get hurt or killed and I can’t let that happen when I know it’s me they want.”

Cedric thought about it for a second.

“Go ahead and take it, Harry, but I will find a way to help you if I can,” he promised.

“Thanks for all your help, Cedric. I hope to see you again soon.”

Harry reached and grabbed a hold of the Triwizard trophy cup. He immediately knew it was a portkey, but suddenly Cedric reached out and grabbed it too and they went spinning.

“NO, CEDRIC!” Harry yelled.

“I’M GOING TO HELP YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, HARRY!” he yelled back.

They landed in a small graveyard. Cedric was off balance when he grabbed the cup and never gained it back. He fell when he landed but Harry landed on his feet. As soon as he touched down, he was back in the shadows, out of sight. It was at night so shadows were everywhere.

“ _Cedric, don’t draw attention to the fact that I’m here too. I can work from the shadows and give us an advantage_ ,” Harry whispered behind him.

Cedric nodded, pulled his wand, and was at the ready.

It looked like a short, pudgy man was walking their way with a bundled baby in his arms. When he saw Cedric and no one else, he paused.

“My lord, it appears the Potter boy is not here. It’s just the Diggory boy. Couch must have not done his job right.”

“Use the Diggory boy then,” a raspy voice answered. “He will have to do for tonight. I can’t wait any longer, Wormtail.”

Wormtail put down his bundle and approached Cedric. He never saw Harry listening in on his conversation with Voldemort. Harry hated to do it but he could tell Voldemort wanted to use him tonight and he was betting it was for Tom to gain a new body. If he allowed them to use Cedric then Voldemort can get a new body and Harry can kill him before he even knows what hit him. Of course, if it looks like they’re going to kill Cedric then Harry will stop it.

Harry watched from the shadows as Cedric dueled Wormtail. Cedric was wondering where Harry went and why he wasn’t helping. In fact, he was starting to worry. When he took a moment to see if he could spot him, Wormtail slipped in a stunner that knocked him out.

Wormtail then used Incarcerous to tie Cedric to a large tombstone before setting about using the enormous cauldron to start a potion. It was a nasty potion at that. Harry saw Wormtail cutoff his own hand and it dropped into the potion. However, when he moved over to Cedric with the same knife, Harry readied himself with a throwing star to kill Wormtail if necessary. Luckily, he only cut Cedric’s arm and used some of his blood in the potion. The last thing he threw in the pot was Voldemort in his ugly baby form. Wormtail seemed to just toss him in without a care in the world as he went away from the cauldron to hold his arm and moan in pain.

The cauldron boiled and a tremendous amount of smoke came out of it. Then suddenly a tall slender man appeared in the cauldron. He didn’t look completely human. He had red eyes and just slits for a nose.

Harry wanted to see more of what they planned so he watched Wormtail robe his naked master before handing him his bone white wand. Voldemort asked for Wormtail’s arm and he used it to call his Death Eaters.

Oh this was getting even better, Harry thought. He could take out some Death Eaters as well tonight. They had all appeared in a circle with a few spots missing. Voldemort went around insulting them all before giving Wormtail a new silver hand and turning his attention to Cedric, who was still out cold because Wormtail had stunned him again.

Uh oh, time to get the job done, Harry thought to himself.

While Voldemort was focused on Cedric and getting ready to enervate him, so he could kill him while he was awake, Harry started on the Death Eaters. The one in the very back was hit by a poisoned dart from Harry’s blowgun. Then the next one behind everyone else was hit as well by a poisoned dart. They both just fell backwards onto the ground, dead.

The second one grunted though when he was hit with the dart so a couple of the Death Eaters turned to see what was the matter. They were hit with throwing stars to the neck for the trouble. This caused the other Death Eaters to become alerted to the problem. It was right after Cedric was enervated by Voldemort. However, Voldemort turned as well when he heard his Death Eaters making a commotion.

What Voldemort saw was his Death Eaters getting slaughtered. There were already four dead on the ground while the rest were being hewn to pieces by two ninja swords slicing through the rest of them like butter. The man killing his Death Eaters looked like a blur when he moved.

Once, all the Death Eaters were killed, Harry disappeared into the shadows again. He then climbed up into a decent sized tree growing in the graveyard. He used the claws on his hands and spikes on his feet to get up the tree silently. Then he just waited on a branch that was deep in shadow.

He saw Wormtail trying to escape but he used his Manriki chain on him. He twirled the chain around his head and let it fly. The black chain with steel balls on each end flew through the air quickly and wrapped around Wormtail’s ankles, causing him to fall to the ground hard. Wormtail raised up to remove the chain from around his legs and Harry got one last good look at the traitor who betrayed his family. Harry then threw a spike that embedded in his neck, puncturing the carotid artery. Peter choked on the blood before falling over dead.

Voldemort noticed Wormtail was taken out too so he put up a shield and started looking for the killer but not having much luck finding him.

“Why don’t you come out and fight me like a real man instead of killing from the shadows?” asked Voldemort. “Too afraid of me? I don’t blame you. I would be afraid of Lord Voldemort too.”

Harry dropped to the ground from up in the tree. He still had his hood and cowl on which hid his face.

Voldemort stared at him for a second.

“Are you a …ninja?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, I am,” Harry replied then pulled back his hood and pulled down his cowl to reveal his face. “I’m also Harry Potter.”

“Ah, now we get to the bottom of it.”

“Apparently, Tom,” Harry saw Voldemort bristle at the name, “there’s a prophecy about the two of us that says in the end we will face each other but only one will survive. That is coming true tonight. This will be the end,” Harry assured him.

“Are you sure you’re up to the challenge, Harry Potter? I’m not as easy to kill as my inept followers and my skills are legendary. I am after all, Lord Voldemort.”

“I’ll certainly give it my best shot …Tom.”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” he yelled.

“Why not? Isn’t that your real name? Your father in his grave over there was a muggle and your mother was practically a squib from all the inbreeding of her family. The Gaunts were a disgrace to all wizarding families. And, that is your background? You don’t sound much like a lord to me, Tom.”

Voldemort screamed and started casting the Killing Curse over and over again along with a few other nasty curses at Harry, only Harry wasn’t there anymore. He was moving fast and travelling on top of the tombstones, running and leaping from one to the next. When Voldemort cast at him on one then he leaped to the next as he made his way closer to Voldemort. Tombstones were exploding behind Harry as he left each one ahead of the spells.

As Harry drew closer, Voldemort became more frantic since he had continually missed. He had never seen anyone move as fast as Harry Potter. Voldemort then tried a blast out from his body that spread out fast like a cone of energy as it travelled further away from him. The blast was to hurl Harry backwards and hopefully into something hard. However, he saw the boy leap higher than anyone should be able to leap, step on the top of the blast and then push off even higher. This all happened in a blink of an eye.

Harry turned a somersault in mid-air and landed right behind Voldemort who suddenly felt something cold and hard coming out of his chest. He looked down and saw the blade of a sword coming out of the front of his robes, but he wasn’t dead yet. Then the blade turned quickly, before it was removed and he knew he was going to die after that. The fact that he couldn’t move at all was a bad sign. He vaguely saw Harry in his peripheral vision, flick the blood off of his blade with practiced ease.

Voldemort stood there swaying a little as Harry used his wand to release Cedric who was wide-eyed and in awe of his friend Harry. Harry then walked around to the front of Voldemort, taking the bone white yew wand from the wizard’s hand. Tom gave no struggle when Harry took his wand. He couldn’t do anything. And, now that Harry was in front of him, Voldemort just looked at his enemy like he couldn’t believe he lost.

Harry shook his head. “What a waste, Tom. You had so much potential but you wasted it on a stupid god complex. You’re not a god. You’re not even a lord. You’re just pathetic, …and I feel sorry for you.”

Harry stepped out of the way as Voldemort breathed his last and fell over straight onto his face in the dirt.

Voldemort was dead.

Harry then turned to his friend who had just found and picked up his wand from the ground.

“Cedric, I’d appreciate it if you would keep my abilities a secret for me. You’re a good friend and I trust you. I’ll tell them that I used a sword that I was training with but I don’t want them knowing what all I can do. It’s really none of their business.”

“If that’s what you want, Harry.”

“I do and I’m sorry I couldn’t help you earlier. Due to a prophecy about Voldemort and myself, I needed to see if he was going to be given a new body so I could kill him for the last and final time. You did end up helping me in the best way possible, Cedric. Don’t worry, I was going to step in if they were going to hurt you too much, but they only did the one cut to use your blood in the potion to revive him. So we were good and you were out during that anyway.”

“I was wondering how I got this cut on my arm.”

“Here, let me fix that for you. I’ve been practicing basic healing charms just in case. Madam Pomfrey can take a look at it when we get back.”

Harry first cast a spell to cleanse the wound, then cast a spell to knit the skin back together. It worked perfectly. Harry had practiced on some quick healing spells during his personal training thinking he may need it in the heat of battle if he got hurt. Turns out it came in handy, after all.

“What do you want to do with all of these bodies?” asked Cedric.

“Oh! Right! Hang on, I have to fix some things.”

Harry went over to each body, collected his darts, stars, the one spike, and Manriki chain. He then put them all back in his backpack and re-shrunk it so he could carry it hidden in his pocket. He left out one sword that was still on his back. He then went to each body that was killed with a dart, star, or spike and cut their necks with the sword to hide the marks left by the other weapons.

“There! That should do it. Now, it only looks like I used a sword.”

“Is there anything I need to do to help?” asked Cedric.

“I think we need one more thing. Why don’t we put up some Notice-Me-Not spells on these bodies and then return to report what happened? The aurors can take care of the bodies after they look at all the evidence. I’m sure Dumbledore will come too.”

“We may both have to come back, Harry.”

“Probably. I’m just glad Voldemort is gone for good and I no longer have to worry about him wanting to kill me,” he said as they both started casting Notice-Me-Nots on each of the bodies. “Hey, do you think I might be able to have some normal years at Hogwarts after this?” he asked Cedric after they finished.

“I don’t know. You are Harry Potter and you did just kill the worst dark lord since anyone can remember. I would think that as a famous as you are now, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.”

“Oh, you just had to go and remind me, didn’t you? Maybe I should play up your role in this more so we can share the spotlight.”

“Won’t work. I was stunned and tied up, remember? Plus, you were moving so fast I couldn’t keep up with you.”

“You can’t tell them about my enhanced speed, Cedric. That’s part of what I need kept secret.”

“Alright. So, you simply used a sword that you trained with to kill all these people?” Cedric asked getting it straight.

“You can also tell them that I attacked from the shadows. They saw me use the shadows in the first task so that’s safe to share. It’ll make more sense too as it gives me a bit of an advantage.”

“Got it!”

“Thanks, Cedric. I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“I owe you, Harry. I promised to look after you during the tasks and here you are looking after me. I would have been killed if you weren’t here to save me. I’ll gladly keep your secrets.”

“I’m glad then, Cedric. I would have really hated to have to go all ninja on you,” Harry joked.

“Well, can you use your ninja senses and find the trophy cup? It’s got to be around here somewhere.”

“It’s behind that tombstone over there,” Harry said pointing.

“Wow! Those ninja senses really work!” he exclaimed as they both walked over behind the tombstone and spotted the cup.

“Nah, I just saw where you dropped it when we landed.”

Cedric just looked at him then floated the cup up so it was in front of both of them.

“We’ll have to grab it at the same time due to how the portkey was setup,” he told Harry. “So on three?”

Harry nodded.

“1,” they both moved their hands a little closer to the cup.

“2,” their hands moved even closer.

“3!” they both grabbed it and felt the pull behind their naval as they left the graveyard.

**The End**


End file.
